Tuesday, June 7, 2011

A former trustee of the Carpenters Union has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for perjury.
Joseph Olivieri, 56, of Briarcliff Manor was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
Olivieri is the former executive director of the Association of Wall, Ceiling, and Carpentry Industries of New York and a former trustee of the benefit funds managed for the District Council of New York City and Vicinity of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. He was convicted by a jury after a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in October 2010.
According to the evidence presented at trial and other documents and proceedings in this case:
Olivieri lied under oath about his ties to the Genovese Organized Crime Family as well as his ties to a union contractor who was defrauding the Carpenters Union benefit funds while he was a trustee. Olivieri committed this perjury during a court-ordered deposition in a civil RICO case the United States Attorney’s Office brought against the Carpenters Union that was intended to rid the union of corruption and organized crime influence.
Olivieri is one of 10 defendants convicted in this case, and was the only one to go to trial. He is the eighth defendant to be sentenced. The other defendants sentenced to date are:
Michael Forde, 56, the former executive secretary treasurer of the District Council (its top position), pleaded guilty on July 28, 2010, to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of racketeering. He was sentenced on Nov. 19, 2010, to 11 years in prison.
Brian Hayes, 40, a former business agent of Local 608, pleaded guilty on Aug. 20, 2010, to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of racketeering. He was sentenced on Jan. 14 to 30 months in prison.
Michael Brennan, 55, of Bushkill, Pa., who was a union shop steward, pleaded guilty on July 6, 2010, to one count of racketeering. He was sentenced on Dec. 17, 2010, to five years in prison.
Brian Carson, 50, of the Bronx who was a union shop steward, pleaded guilty on April 5, 2010, to one count of aiding and abetting the embezzlement of monies from union benefit funds. He was sentenced on Aug. 13, 2010, to 19 months in prison.
Michael Vivenzio, 63, of Mahwah, NJ, who was a union shop steward, pled guilty on June 23, 2010, to one count of aiding and abetting the embezzlement of monies from union benefit funds. He was sentenced on Dec. 17, 2010, to 19 months in prison.
Joseph Ruocco, 51, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., who was a union shop steward, pleaded guilty on July 8, 2010, to one count of aiding and abetting the embezzlement of monies from union benefit funds. He was sentenced on Jan. 14 to one year and one day in prison.
John Stamberger, 54, of Brick, NJ, who was a union shop steward, pleaded guilty on March 12, 2010, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and unlawful acceptance of payments by a labor representative. He was sentenced on Jan. 21 to five years’ probation.
Two defendants remain to be sentenced. John Greaney, 51, of Yonkers, who was the former president and business manager of Local 608, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. Greaney pleaded guilty on July 16, 2010, to one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of racketeering, four counts of wire-fraud conspiracy, four counts of deprivation of honest services, two counts of unlawful acceptance of payments by a labor representative, and one count of perjury.
Finbar O’Neill, 45, of Paramus, NJ, who is a contractor, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29. O’Neill pleaded guilty on May 20, 2010, to one count of making unlawful payments to labor representatives, and one count of conspiracy to make such unlawful payments.